The Newest Member
by Amethyst Star1
Summary: The X-Men come into contact with a group of people with a powerful ability to sense where mutants are and what their powers are. When Amethyst, the newest X-Men member, gets in trouble, the others need their help to save her.
1. Prelude: The Caputiel Draven

Prelude  
The Caputiel Draven  
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---"Thalmess, I think you should see this."  
---"What is it?"  
---"Call a gathering and inform the Tellsier that we'll need everyone from the continental United States. I've found something that I think everyone should see."  
"Very well."  
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---Within the hour, Thalmess had spoken to the Tellsier through cell phones and found himself inside of a cave sitting on one of the several stone chairs that had been carved out a half-century ago. He sat there and waited as the tall, thin, and white-haired man in the center of the cave used his own mutant powers to call the others in, and one by one they suddenly appeared in their respective positions, eyes closed and slightly dizzy. No one spoke while the Tellsier worked and over the span of a quarter of an hour, twenty men and women were in attendance in the spherical cave that spanned about 25 yards in any direction. After that was all over, the Tellsier lied down in his own bed that was still in the circle, resting after expending a great deal of energy in his task as a Translocater.  
---Thalmess, being the head of the clan of mutants rose from his seat and inquired, "Now, what was it you wanted to inform us about, Christoll?"  
---Christoll stood up and spoke slowly and deliberately. "I have located a large concentration of mutants in a small sector of New York. There are easily more than a hundred, but most of which are youth rather than adults. Judging from the location of the mutants covering varying depth levels, it is probably a large mansion or museum or another building of the sort."  
---"The decision must now be made whether or not to investigate this concentration of mutants."  
---Christoll sat down along with Thalmess while another member, Asphen, rose to her feet. "I propose a joining to discover whether or not these mutants are friendly or not."  
---Everyone seemed to agree while she sat back down and then all eyes turned to the Tellsier who looked asleep, his breathing heavy and his muscles relaxed. Another member who was closest to him stood up to rouse the man. "Katch," she whispered. She saw the man stir and open his eyes.  
---"A joining, Littan?"  
---"Yes," she replied softly.  
---Katch stood up off of the bed slowly. He was tired, but he'd worked his talents through worse than what he was feeling then. Careful to watch his step, the man walked back down to the center of the cave while everyone else gathered around him. The twenty leaned in with one arm to touch his shoulders, neck, or arms. The other hand went onto the shoulder of the person in front of them.  
---Once the circle was complete the Draven combined their telepathic powers using the Tellsier as an anchor. Since his mind was different from theirs, the others brought his awareness along with theirs as they reached their sight towards the area that Christoll had told them of, using him as their guide. With the combined force of their abilities, it didn't take them long to find it. Then they all could sense the presence of a couple hundred mutants spread out over a limited area.  
---They found that most of them were sleeping except for a few adults and two children. The youth were with one of the adults when two adults walked together and two others seemed to be out by themselves: one on the surface of the structure or first floor and the other below ground, mind hard at work. It was quickly decided to look at the one mutant on the surface and try to have the Tellsier communicate with him.  
---Before they could do that, though, the person who was below the main floor started to use his abilities differently, startling the Draven. They realized quickly that the mutant was a telepath, and a tremendously strong one, more so than any they'd ever come in contact with.  
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---It was around eleven o'clock and almost everyone at Xavier's School for the Gifted, with the exception of the X-Men, Rogue, and another student who was working with Storm, were asleep. Storm was teaching a young Denaru how to manipulate the weather during the night while a curious and hardly sleepy Rogue looked upon. Cyclops sat in Professor Xavier's vast library trying to occupy his mind. Wolverine was tired, having returned to the school after a stressful day. He'd been trying to avoid attracting attention in a small city nearby while he went to talk to a family who was selling their small house. He felt that it might be good for him to have a place of his own where he could escape to incase he felt the need to be alone, but still in easy reach.  
---Professor Charles Xavier was down in the Cerebro in an attempt to see if any mutants had come into their powers. He wanted to make sure that no child would be persecuted in any way and would be given the chance to grow to their full potential. Though he was only able to see within a limited area, he was satisfied – he had to be – with knowing that at least some of their kind would be safe.  
---As he was scanning the area he suddenly sensed a presence somewhere in the school that he didn't recognize. It seemed faint to him and he guessed that without the amplification of his powers in the Cerebro he would not have been able to feel it at all. Cautiously, so as not to alarm the intruder, he reached out his awareness towards the unknown mutant.  
---"Who are you?" he asked as soon as he linked his mind with theirs. "What are you doing here?"  
---The intruder was clearly startled, but once Charles had made contact with him, he could no let go. He said nothing, but the professor was himself startled to discover that the man he was linked to was no telepath, but was, instead, brought along by a score of others for some reason or another. The others all seemed to be telepathic in a different sense then the one he linked to because they made no reaction, showing that unless he extended his power to include them all, they would be unable to hear him.  
---Then he realized that the other man was brought along sort of as a medium who could talk with Xavier. The fact that he wasn't a telepath made him feel better. He repeated his question but then added, "I have no reason to harm you."  
---"I am the Tellsier of the Caputiel Draven. I am called Katch." He said no more, not wanting to have too much known about the clan until they found out what kind of mutants they were communicating with.  
---"I am Professor Charles Xavier. I am the head of a school for Gifted youth." He thought about invading upon the man's mind for more information, but he decided to be polite instead. "Who are you with and what, may I ask, is your business here?"  
---Katch didn't want to answer that question without first consulting with the others. In order to do that, though, he would have to be allowed to talk to them physically. "Would you allow us to meet in person?" he asked.  
---Xavier was also cautious, not knowing whether or not the group was friendly. But considering the fact that he had a whole school full of mutants and quite a few who had or almost had a mastery on their powers, he decided it might be safe enough. He decided that he would gather together the X-Men and a few of the more advanced students just in case the worst case scenario unfolded.  
---"Very well," he replied.  
---"Can you show me an image of what the area looks like?"  
---That was an odd request but Charles figured that this Katch fellow needed to see what the grounds appeared to be in order to use his abilities, whatever they may have been. Taking no chances, he invaded Katch's mind solely to sense whether the motive was good or ill and was rewarded when he saw that they also meant no harm. Sequentially he sent out a mental image of the area outside directly behind the main building in the school. "Will that do?"  
---"Yes, thank you. Expect us in one hour."  
---"Very well." Xavier released Katch's mind and returned his awareness to his body sitting in his wheelchair inside of the gigantic round room. He turned his chair around and exited through the large doors that opened and closed automatically for him. Then he communicated to Cyclops to gather everyone for a meeting while he woke several students he felt would be good to have along.  
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---Katch touched two of the Draven physically and they soon returned him to the cave. When they all returned to their bodies, they turned to him for a report of what he'd seen and heard. They knew that someone had gotten a hold on Katch's mind, but their limited perception left them deaf to the conversation.  
---"What did he say?"  
---"That was a short conversation."  
---"Are they good mutants?"  
---"That mutant was powerful!"  
---Katch ignored their questions and comments and spoke how he knew would least attract questions: quickly and in a very matter-of-fact manner. "Professor Charles Xavier has consented to allow us to meet with them in one hour. He didn't seem bad, though he was very cautious."  
---"Xavier?" Osprey said. "I've heard of him." The others focused on him silently. "I think he works with a Doctor Jean Grey who is a big supporter of mutant rights."  
---The others felt at ease when that was said. Now all they needed was for the Tellsier to get them to wherever this "Professor" was, which they knew would take the allotted hour. Since Katch would be sending them all at once, they would all have to sit in one spot for the entire amount of time so that Katch wasn't distracted or messed up.  
---Katch had to focus on the mental image that Xavier had sent him and slowly started to put his image inside of it, and then, one by one, the bodies of the Draven. It took him such a long time due to the fact that he had to maintain the image, locking it into his mind, before he would be able to execute the final step needed to send them all to the school. It wasn't easy because, as always, details continued to slip out of the image that he would have to replace. If he had been sending them one by one, it would have not taken such a long time because he would only have to visualize one person as a time instead of the whole group, but in that situation, they didn't want one person going there alone without knowing whether or not the intentions of the professor were good or not.  
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---Xavier lightly touched the shoulder of one of the students who laid face down on his pillow, fast asleep. The student roused immediately, but was not startled. He knew the voice of his physics teacher and got up without making any more noise than was required. He, along with six other students saved their questions for later so that they didn't wake anyone else up. Once they were awake and dressed in their school uniforms, Xavier led them all out to where the X-Men now stood along with Rogue and a very tired Denaru.  
---"Where's Nightcrawler?" Storm asked.  
---"He was sleeping," Scott Summers replied. "He hadn't had any sleep for the past 24 hours and I thought it would be…advantageous to allow him to sleep." Then he turned to Xavier. "What's going on, professor?" He had his specialized glasses on, but had brought along his visor just in case of a conflict which he and everyone else undoubtedly wanted to avoid that late at night.  
---"A group of mutants will be coming here in about three quarters of an hour. The man I talked to, Katch, didn't want to tell me what he was doing. He seemed to feel better if we would speak in person. The others he was with are telepaths, but of a different sort. They don't have any mind-reading capabilities, and so seemed to bring Katch along to act as some sort of spokesperson."  
---"How many are there?" Storm asked.  
---"I'd say about twenty, but from what I sensed, their motives are good."  
---"How'd they find us?" inquired Rogue, her youthful voice teeming with curiosity.  
---"I don't know." He paused and looked at them all. "But I intend to find out." 


	2. Chapter 1: The First Meeting

Chapter 1  
The First Meeting  
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---"Have you reached Amethyst, professor?" Storm asked after several minutes, having realized that the youngest and newest inductee to the X-Men was missing.  
---"Yes, Storm," Xavier replied. "She's on her way back right now and should be here soon."  
---The X-Men were fairly well acquainted with Amethyst and her anomaly. However, the students were not. "Who's Amethyst?" one asked.  
---"One of the music teachers," replied another.  
---"Correct, Samuel," Xavier said. "She has a very unique gift, but you'll see her soon enough."  
---"Who's she this time?" Wolverine inquired. He'd gotten over the initial shock of being associated with another Mystique of sorts and had grown somewhat fond of her in a friendly kind of way.  
---The professor paused as he tried to think of who Amethyst was portraying this time. "Magneto, actually," he said finally. He received quite a few shocked looks and a look of fear from Rogue, who still couldn't put behind her the last encounter with him that she'd had. "I managed to provide her with a hair and she went out tonight to try and gain control over his abilities."  
---"Oh, that brings back a bundle of happy memories," Wolverine commented, half spiteful and half sarcastic. He didn't particularly relish the thought of having another person who could potentially stretch his metal-covered bones apart, especially if they looked like Magneto.  
---Cyclops grinned at the look on Logan's face. "Just think that she might come in handy some day. I can't always be there to save your butt, so if you have to have someone, Amethyst's not a bad choice."  
---Wolverine glared at Scott but kept his initial comment to himself in the youth's presence. Instead he said, "And to think that she also has the potential to turn into you. That's a scary thought."  
---"You'll never grow up" Storm commented to both of them, "will you?"  
---"I won't," Logan commented, rather proud of his mutation. Then he pointed his finger at Scott and said, "but he will."  
---"No wonder you aren't married," Cyclops retorted.  
---One of the students started to tire of the banter and asked, "So who are these people we're meeting?"  
---"I don't know exactly," Xavier replied. "A man I spoke to said that he was the…Tellsier of the Caputiel Draven. I've never heard of them before, though."  
---At that moment, Xavier's eyes turned towards the night sky, informing everyone that Amethyst was returning. A couple moments later she appeared, an exact duplicate of Magneto, complete with clothing and cape, though lacking the helmet he usually brought along. It was difficult not to be at least somewhat alarmed. Wolverine had even threatened her once – entirely on accident – saying that he would kill her if she didn't identify herself and prove who she was. Amethyst had been portraying the professor, but was able to walk around for some reason. That threat – along with Xavier's chastising – made that the only time she impersonated the professor.  
---Now, though, she arrived and landed quickly and silently. "Greetings, Professor Xavier," she said in Magneto's deep, masculine voice.  
---"Welcome back, Ms. Star," Charles replied.  
---Everyone greeted her warmly, though a slight tinge of anxiety went with everyone. She then took her right hand, reached up to her open mouth, and pulled out a hair that sat under her tongue. With her other hand, she reached down towards the belt she wore and selected a vial-like container labeled "Magneto" in her special code. She placed the hair inside of it and replaced the bottle to its place at her belt. She'd started a small collection of hairs from different people, each with their individual strengths and weaknesses.  
---Cyclops wanted her to prove who she was, but since Xavier was convinced that it was her, he wouldn't complain. His last experience with the villain had left a bit more than hatred in his heart and he was only too glad to avoid him. He, along with everyone else, though, watched as the young woman slowly began to change shape. Her hair color changed from dusty gray to dark brown with natural blonde highlights. Her body grew a couple of inches until she was as tall as Logan, though a fair bit thinner and harboring a somewhat wiry frame. Lastly, her face changed shape and her eyes turned the same color of an amethyst. The whole process took her a silent ten minutes to go through. Since she couldn't change the clothing that she wore, the clothing seemed stretched and she had to reach into a pocket to pull out a thin pair of glasses.  
---"So," she said in a deep but melodious voice, "what are we waiting here for?"  
---Xavier explained it once again and after that, the X-Men asked her what she'd been doing all night. She reported for about another ten minutes just to pass the time and then she started answering the questions that the ignorant students presented to her. Most of them weren't involved in music and so knew very little of the woman in the black and gray outfit. She was content to answer them and the others were content to listen, having nothing else to do until the Caputiel Draven arrived.  
---After a further fifteen minutes of talking, they tired of it and mostly sat in silence for the remaining twenty or so minutes. Wolverine managed to fall asleep on the ground; Storm caused a rainless storm cloud to form over the school as a precaution; Scott spoke with the professor intermittently; Rogue carefully sat next to Bobby Drake (Iceman), though she was away from everyone else; Amethyst reclined on the ground and looked up at the stars; and the professor sat with his eyes closed, biding his time. The students had nothing to say outside of friendly chatter and so kept their mouths closed.  
---The Draven appeared very suddenly; suddenly there was no one nearby, and then all of a sudden 21 people showed up without any warning whatsoever. Everyone was startled and moved several steps away, on guard in case of an attack. All of the Draven had their heads down and their eyes closed and looked up as soon as they felt that the air around them had changed. The looks in their eyes showed an equal amount of surprise at seeing such a fairly large group of strangers. The Caputiel Draven was not used to dealing with groups of people, but rather individual mutants at a time.  
---It was a few moments before the Tellsier asked, "Who of you is Professor Charles Xavier?"  
---Xavier, who had been somewhat shielded by the bodies of everyone else wheeled forward, creating additional surprise from those who also weren't used to seeing crippled people. "I am. And I assume by the tone of your voice that you are Katch."  
---"You would assume correctly,"   
---"And I am Roan," one of the Draven said as he stepped forward. "I am the head of the Caputiel Draven." He then pointed to Katch and said, "The one you spoke to before was Katch, our Draven's Tellsier."  
---"What does that mean?" Storm asked curiously.  
---"He's a translocator and medium for the Draven." He paused again but only for a moment. "A Draven is a clan of mutants who all have the same abilities."  
--They all waited for Roan to say more about what those abilities were, but he did not. With impatience brewing in his tired head Wolverine asked, "And what would those abilities be?"  
---The Draven looked at each other, not sure whether or not they should tell. Not many knew about them and the rather that it stayed that way, lest an anti-mutant group of people come after them with hostile intentions. They'd dealt with it only once, but it wasn't a pleasant experience and one they didn't want to repeat.  
---"Where is Doctor Grey?" a woman named Dellre asked.  
---Before anyone could do or say anything, the professor said, "She is away from the school today." He said it in a manner that discouraged any further questions on the subject.  
---"How can we be sure that your intentions towards us are not hostile?" Cheas of the Draven asked.  
---Xavier was, of course, the first to come up with an idea. "Well, I suppose the most reasonable thing for us to do right now is to introduce ourselves so that our guests feel welcome." Wolverine rolled his eyes impatiently, not saying anything, but that gesture was ignored. "I believe you know my name and that I am telepathic. That was why I was able to detect you."  
---He looked to Rogue who was right next to him, indicating that she should go next. "I'm Rogue. I don't know what the correct term for my "powers" is…are, but just don't touch me."  
---"I'm Storm; weather manipulation."  
---"Wolverine; regenerative." He caused his claws to come out of his hand little bit, preferring them to see for themselves what else he had.  
---"Is an incessantly bad attitude a power?" Scott interjected. He was ignored, though.  
---"Amethyst Star," she said with a flair, a smile, and a slight bow. "Shape-shifter and power thief."  
---"Scott Summers, but you can call me Cyclops. I direct energy out through my eyes." He looked at Wolverine who was unsuccessfully trying to cover a smile.  
---"Bobby Drake, also called Iceman. I freeze…stuff." Rogue smiled as she stood by him.  
---Then the students introduced themselves one by one. Among those were an additional weather manipulator, a boy with super-speed, a flying fire-worker, an illusionist, a girl who could become invisible and had superb night vision, a boy with stupendous strength and an unusual knack for accuracy, and a girl with the power to control the emotions of others.  
---The Draven seemed more comfortable now, even though it was unnecessary what they had just done. It did form a bit more trust towards the X-Men and the students, though. "We already knew your powers," Teller of the Draven said. He smiled cheerfully and hoped his comment didn't offend them.  
---"Except about Amethyst, though," added Riko curiously. "Her power seemed to fluctuate so that we couldn't tell exactly. It seems to happen with shape-shifters and especially with her additional ability to change abilities."  
---Amethyst looked smug, but not overdoing it. She had an unfortunate talent for sarcasm that sometimes got carried away and tended to offend people at the wrong time.  
---"Now, who are you and what can you do?" Rogue asked, also trying not to be discourteous. She was, as usual, curious.  
---The Draven finally consented to tell them and Roan spoke for them once more. "This might take a little bit, just so you know. Anyway, as I said earlier, a Draven is a group of people who share the same powers. In this case, every one of us, with the exception of the Tellsier, has the ability to locate and track mutants over a large area for whatever reason necessary. We twenty belong to the Caputiel Draven and we work in just the continental United States. There are other Dravens in other countries, but I don't think I really need to get into that much.  
---"We're just the watchers, though. In order to get to our watching locations, we need a Tellsier to send us there. As you can tell, a Tellsier is a person with translocative powers and can send something from one spot to another instantaneously. The only drawback is that they have to know what the area looks like."  
---"Which is why you asked what this area looks like, correct?"  
---"Yes," Katch replied.  
---"Anyways," Roan continued, "we also use him when we need to find out whether or not a person is hostile or not. Our powers are limited and so we're only able to tell what powers a person has, how powerful they are, and where they are. We can't communicate to them so that's why we bring Katch along. He acts as our go-between and after he's done, he informs us of what he observes. Then we decide what our next course of action is. If they're good, we do nothing more. If they're hostile and they know where we are, we get away."  
---Xavier looked at them speculatively. The prospect of forming an alliance of sorts with these long-range trackers seemed pleasing to him. It would allow him the chance to aid other mutants much easier than he normally could. Then he could focus more on finding mutants who could possibly be teachers and open new establishments to teach and train mutants who had nowhere to turn. They, themselves, could possibly train others with similar talents so that there would be room for more students at his school. "Would you be willing to join with us?" he asked hopefully.  
---"Why?" Delver asked.  
---"Well, you could gain more people to work with your…Draven, and we could gain a much needed alliance. There aren't many groups willing to join the fight against mutant oppression.  
---"Our main mission," he went on to explain, "is to protect mutants, especially youth who have nowhere to turn for help. This is the only place where many children can be safe from non-mutants."  
---"I have an idea!" Amethyst said excitedly. Everyone turned their attention towards her, caught off guard by her sudden outburst. When she put her thoughts in order, she told everyone. "How about a trade…well, it's not really a trade, but it might be rather enlightening. The Draven can take me and I can become one of them for a while and they can teach me what they do. At the same time, the one I replace can stay here and help train some of the youth whose powers are similar. That way if either side had questions, there would be someone to answer them."  
---She stood there smiling, glad that she was able to think of an idea – she wasn't much of a decision maker or idea creator usually. But she was rewarded when the Tellsier finally said, "That is an excellent idea." 


	3. Chapter 2: Amethyst's Venture

Chapter 2  
Amethyst's Adventure  
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---"That's disgusting!" Artesia exclaimed.  
---"Just watch," Amethyst replied an ever-present smile on her face. Most of the people watching thought that putting someone's hair in your mouth was rather unsanitary, but it was what she had to do in order to use her talents. "It's no worse than kissing a cat on the head…which I can't do any more." The last part was said with some regret because she was an avid cat lover.  
---That comment didn't help the situation much, but soon enough, her body started to shrink several inches, her hair turned black, her eyes turned icy blue, and her clothing started to feel somewhat baggy. She was still wearing Magneto's clothing and so it was somewhat stretched when she turned back into herself, but now it turned fairly uncomfortable. There were more than a few amazed faces among everyone, but she hadn't tired of the attention and enjoyed it. The only drawback was having her skin, bones, and organs stretched and manipulated so there would be no mistaking her new identity; even a DNA test would show that the person she was impersonating was genuine. Nothing short of a telepath or a conspicuous mistake would prove otherwise.  
---Soon she was a perfect replicate of the man Meulli excepting the fact that she didn't know how to use his abilities, but she was sure she'd learn quickly. This was one of the first and most fundamental mutations that people had gone through. The anti-mutant agencies would have loved to have one of the Draven at their disposal, but they had made a life out of hiding from others.  
---There wasn't much else to say except to agree that she and Meulli would return to their respective sides in one week's time. Then Amethyst gave Rogue a cautious hug and then gave one to Storm; she shook hands with Scott and the professor. She walked over to Wolverine as if she were going to hug him, but he stuck his right fist out towards her as if he were going to extend his claws if she got too close. She grinned mischievously and said, "All I have to do is put you-know-who's hair back in my mouth and you, my metallic friend, are out of luck."  
---"I think you two will be very happy together," Cyclops said, more to Logan than to her.  
---"I bet you'd have fun with two of me," Logan responded. He reached up and pulled a short curly hair from off of the top of his head. It felt odd to give it to her since she looked like Meulli, but she took it graciously and placed it in one of the two empty vials. "Just in case anything comes up."  
---"Needs no explanation as to how to use your powers. I'll try to be careful, though." She took out a permanent marker from the belt and labeled it "Wolverine" in her special code.  
---"Wish you wouldn't do that," Scott said. "It'd be nice to know that if you were unconscious as a complete stranger, we could still identify you from the vials."  
---"And have some anti-mutant have DNA to match the names they have of mutants already? Not a chance." She put the pen away and turned to go back towards the Draven. "Enough logic for one night. I'm ready to go with them and hopefully get a chance to fall asleep."  
---Once she joined up with the Draven, Ran spoke again. This time it was directed at the X-Men. "You all might as well go back to sleep. It'll take Katch about an hour to get us all back to our…residence."  
---Nothing else was said as the tired X-Men and students and Meulli returned to the main complex. Katch explained to Amethyst that she would have to remain still for him to return them back to their home. To solve that problem, Amethyst lied down on the ground and did her best to fall asleep. It wasn't hard considering the spring grass was soft and the ground was cool.  
---She woke up, though, when Katch sent them back to the cave. She felt her/Meulli's body tugged harshly from where she was, but by the time she opened her eyes, they were already in the cave and the ground she had been on became solid rock. When she sat up, she was surprised to see that she was surrounded by rock in a fairly large, round cave. There were indentations carved into the walls and chairs where the indentations had been made; almost as if it were a meeting chamber of some archaic sort.  
---She was able to see that no one was in the mood for talking at that time and so she didn't say anything. Instead, the lady Littan came over to her and showed her where her quarters were behind Meulli's sitting area. "This is where you'll be sleeping. Fix it up as you like."  
---Littan left with a nonchalant wave and Amethyst was left alone. She pulled the hair out of her mouth and replaced it in the last of the six vials she carried, too tired to bother with labeling it. Then she surveyed the small but quaint room. The bed was a mattress on a box-spring without any frame holding it up. That didn't bother her greatly, but she just hoped that it was long enough for her to sleep comfortably without worrying about her feet hanging off of the end. There was a small chest at the foot of the bed that she felt contained Meulli's clothing and belongings.  
---"Is there any way I can get some different clothes?" she called out just before Littan was out of earshot. She didn't get a response. So she poked her head out of the doorway; no one was there. Sighing heavily and dramatically she flopped down face first on her bed, groaning as she noticed that her feet did, indeed, hang off of the edge.  
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---The next morning, she purposefully rolled off of the bed only to discover that she didn't land on soft carpet, but cold stone. The laugh that she had prepared to utter was turned into a grimace. Sarcastically she thought to herself, I love this place already. She was glad to see, though, that the service had improved and there was a change of the gray clothing that everyone seemed to wear lying upon the chest at the foot of the bed. They didn't exactly fit but it seemed that she was in no position to complain, so she didn't.  
---Hearing no footfalls or voices, she assumed that everyone else was still asleep. Walking out of the room she did her best to make no noise as her bare feet made their way across the stone floor. Surprisingly, the stone was not very cold, as she thought it would be, but was instead warm enough to not be a discomfort. As she walked out from behind the partition she saw the large round cave, noticing that there was just enough light to see where she was going. She looked down at her watch and, turning the light of it on, she saw that it was 6:34am. She groaned quietly, having a thorough dislike for early mornings.  
---She walked out to the center of the room and looked around. The light came from four candles at certain points in the room but she also noticed more, guessing that those were for use once everyone was awake. She saw that what she thought of as chairs were little more than indents cut out of the wall. For some reason, the raison d'être behind anyone desiring to live in such a cold environment evaded her and she wondered how any of them could stand it without growing incessantly bored.  
---She walked towards an obvious exit in the cave and found something she did not expect to see. An enormous square room stood before her with shelves upon shelves upon shelves covered with books. She knew that it wasn't as large as some of the libraries that she had frequented, but at first glance it looked almost as large as the student library that Professor Xavier had at his school. Each shelf was clearly labeled according to the books it held and Amethyst made her way through each row. When she stepped out of the doorway, she began to feel a slight breeze brushing by her and she wondered if it was meant to keep the room dry to keep the books from molding. There was a large science-fiction and fantasy section and Amethyst amused herself for the next twenty minutes or so looking down the list, pointing to the ones that she had read before or had thought about reading. She was so engrossed in her amusements that she almost ran into the man who stood at the end of the row.  
---"Oh!" she said with quiet surprise. "I didn't see you there."  
---"I know." He extended his hand. "My name's Sutri."  
---She returned the handshake with her own firm grip. He looked no older than about seventeen. His mousy blonde hair seemed to plaster itself all around his head. His light green eyes radiated curiosity. He was easily a head shorter than she and was dressed in the Draven's uniform gray. "I'm Amethyst," she said confidently. "Amethyst Star, though some call me Ame'." She pronounced Ame' like "Amy."  
---"So, you like books?" Sutri said as he put his hands into his pockets.  
---"I love books!" Amethyst said, a broad smile splitting her face. "I used to work in Professor Xavier's library." She pointed down the row of books that she had just looked through. "I've read quite a few of the ones you have…in this library, I mean."  
---"That's cool." He nodded the nod of someone who doesn't know how to continue the conversation.  
---Amethyst carried it for him. She launched him into a discussion of their favorite authors, favorite books, favorite books that had been turned into movies, and so on. One topic lead to another and before they knew it, a half an hour had passed. As with a typical conversation with Amethyst, books eventually led to movies and then led to books that Amethyst was in the process of writing.  
---"Have you gotten anything published yet?" Sutri asked with interest.  
---"No…but I plan to if I ever get around to finishing one." Sutri just nodded and the conversation continued.  
---They were interrupted by Roan when he walked through looking for Amethyst. She was also surprised to see him, especially when she looked at her watch. The time was now 7:07am, but Amethyst couldn't see how, if it wasn't necessary, anyone would want to get up that early in the morning. --- "You're up early," Amethyst said.  
---"What time is it?" Roan asked, stifling a yawn. She told him and he shrugged. "Your mind loses track of time when you don't see the sun. We keep regular hours and each trio of people work for three hours at a time. Until it's your turn again – six hours later – you're free to do whatever you want; hence, this library." He waved his hand around, encompassing the large room. It was about three hundred feet wide, but Amethyst couldn't tell how long the room was with shelves obstructing her view. "There are a few other things to do, but for the most part, this is where we spend our time."  
---"Sounds like…fun." Amethyst tried not to pause and reveal the fact that she thought the idea of living in a place like this, even with an extensive library, was ludicrous. "How often do you go…up above ground?"  
---"Each trio works for three days and then Katch sends them up. They then spend two or three days up there. We rotate and so there are always people here."  
---"So the group that went to the school last night wasn't everyone?"  
---"Not quite everyone. There were two additional trios above ground that we couldn't contact."  
---"How many trios are there?"  
---"There are twenty people in our Draven. We also switch people in and out of trios." He sighed. "Are you hungry? It's time to go get breakfast."  
---Amethyst found that she was. "Let's go."  
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---As soon as she stepped out of the library she smelled food, making her stomach growl. Roan led her and Sutri through a couple of corridors to a dining room where six other people were sitting at two tables, eating and conversing. Amethyst guessed that they were the first trios on duty that day.  
---The three of them sat together and ate a breakfast of fresh fruit and home-made bread. The bread brought back a feeling of nostalgia. Its flavor brought back certain memories that she wanted to forget. Speaking before thinking, she started to say, "I used to make bread…at least, before I became a mutant. My dad always asked me to make it, but I'd only make it about one a month or so. Everyone in my family liked it and I remember times where I didn't even get a slice."  
---Sutri sat up to listen to her. He was interested to hear about her life pre-mutation. "What was your life like at home?"  
---"Normal. I had a sister, two brothers, and both my parents had been married for 27 years. We had a dog, Syph, and three cats: Sugar, Powder, and Flour. We went to church and I sang with my parents up front about once a month or so. I had some friends that I'd hang out with from time to time but mostly just saw at school. For the most part, I kind of kept to myself, but oh well. It was nice."  
---Roan, unsure if Amethyst would start crying, carefully asked, "When did you find out that you were a mutant?"  
---Amethyst cringed. With her eyes closed, she began to speak. "Witch hunt," she spat. She sensed that the others seemed confused by the saying. Her eyes opened and she continued to talk, staring down intently upon her empty plate. "One of my brothers was in the Army; he turned into a mutant during boot camp. Well, they sent him away with an honorable discharge and he came home. Well, some people in our town hated mutants with a vengeance. On June 24th, 2003, I was coming home from work, only to see our house on fire. From the looks of things, it had been recently started, but I worried when I saw that the doors and windows had been barricaded. I couldn't see anyone around, but I didn't know if anyone was still in the house. I ran over to our shed and pulled out a rake and then ran back to the house. I worked to try and pry stuff away from one of the downstairs windows. Once I could see the window, I broke it and pulled myself in.  
---"The smell of smoke was almost overwhelming and I almost passed out. Once I was in, I started to yell out to my family. They were just beyond the flaming door to my right. I was able to push it open with the rake and yelled for them to come through. The cats came first, followed by the dog. My sister came next, then my mom, then my dad, then my brother. My other brother was at college. Thinking quickly, I remembered the crawlspace that led out of a nearby closet. I yelled at them to go through it, my dad now at the lead. When they were all in the closet, I followed them in and noticed that my dad had removed the panel that hid the small tunnel-like space.  
---"I heard the house groaning above us and urged my family to go through. My brother went first in order to dig an exit. He was quickly followed by my sister and mother. My dad urged me to go next but I refused. I had to scream at him to go first, but he eventually did. Then I picked up the cats and put them in the crawl space and put my dog in there, too. I loved my cats too much and thought it would be cruel to let my dog die in a fire. The house continued to groan and my dad tried to hurry me along. As I started to crawl in, though, one of the boards from the ceiling fell and came down on my leg, cutting it open. I didn't feel it, surprisingly, until my dad pulled me out of the hole after the rest of my family. When I did feel it, it came with a vengeance. I started to scream, but my dad put his hand over my mouth to silence me.  
---"We went over to where our cars were supposed to be parked, but they were not there. So, my brother ran up the hill to a friend's house and had them bring their car down. We were all taken to the hospital. I don't remember the ride there, probably because I was in shock at that time. We arrived at the emergency room and I was immediately taken into surgery. While they were pushing the gurney that I laid on, one of the nurses started to give me a blood transfusion. That's when it happened.  
"It freaked everyone out to see me turn into a rather ugly middle-aged man. I didn't know because I had passed out and didn't feel my body change. Sometime during the process, the gash in my leg healed itself. From what I was told, the doctors could only stand there and stare at me for the longest time. That was until my brother barged his way into the room. He was also astonished, but then he guessed what had happened: that I was, indeed, a mutant. Even though I looked like a man, he still knew that it was me. He woke me up, but was chastised by one of the more alert doctors, saying that I needed to sleep.  
---"Then once the unit of blood I was taking in emptied he asked another of the nurses to give me another unit of blood, saying that I had still lost a lot. Right in front of my brother, I turned into a teenage girl. It is perhaps the most painful experience I've ever been through. My skin contracted, my bones shortened, my organs completely resized themselves. It took about twenty seconds and when it was over I had a throbbing headache. When I could think straight, I began to panic and tore…it out of my arm." She couldn't manage to get the word "needle" out. "It took six hours for me to change back to normal. It was an odd feeling as I sat, systematically changing back.  
---"We spent our next days at my aunt and uncle's house at the other end of town. While I was there I found out that any hair or fur in my mouth would cause me to change shape. The following days found me with my mouth shut. I was afraid to even fall asleep in case I inhaled something and woke up as someone else. I found out that when I took whatever was in my mouth out, though, it only took a matter of seconds to change back. The thought still didn't help, though.  
---"Eventually, my family was attacked again. As last time I was away from the house working, but I wasn't coming home. That time whoever it was that hated my family so much succeeded…." She paused. "Our cars had been found up at a reservoir just outside of town and so I took one of them and ran away."  
---"Where to?" one of the people at another table asked and Amethyst realized that Sutri and Roan were no longer the only ones listening to her.  
---"I started to head towards Montana where I was attending school in Missoula. When I got there, I didn't know what to do and so I kept driving east. After several days of straight driving I arrived at Boston just in time to witness the scene at Bobby Drake's house. It was actually quite frightening to watch the police cars in front of the house explode. However, I know that since there were mutants involved – duh – that I might be able to find someone who could help me. I stayed in Boston for about a week and then went back to the Drake's home. I knocked on the door and a man I assumed to be Bobby's father answered it.  
---"I asked him about what had happened, but he slammed the door in my face. I started to pound on the door. I actually started to cry with frustration. Eventually, I heard someone calling from an upper room. I stopped pounding and stepped off of the porch so I could look up and see who had caught my attention. Someone I could only assume was Bobby's brother was hanging out of the window. I sighed in relief. First he asked if I was a mutant. I was pretty reluctant to answer, but I considered that my situation could get no worse and so I said yes. He asked me what I wanted and I asked him if he knew where Bobby was. He said no. He did tell me, though, that he went to school in Westchester, New York. I thanked him and left.  
---"I went up to Westchester, but couldn't find the school. I stayed up there anyway in hopes of seeing one of the mutants I saw at Bobby's house. I didn't until about three days after the incident where everyone almost died…. I'm assuming that you know which day I'm talking about." They did. "I eventually came across Wolverine." She sighed again. "It was actually a very interesting first meeting. He was getting into a car after coming out of a butcher's shop and even though he had the hood of his coat up I was able to see his face somewhat. Elated, I ran over to the car and he almost ran me over. As fast as he could, he rushed out of the car and asked if I was alright.  
---"I stood there with my hands on the hood of the car when he came over. All I could think to say was 'Take me with you.' He didn't hesitate and told me later that he wanted to make sure that he wasn't seen. The Boston incident, he said, had made him somewhat recognizable. Anyway, he drove me out of the town and started to ask me all sorts of questions. Once I told him that I was a mutant, he didn't seem entirely worried. He didn't start to freak out until he asked me what my power was and I showed him. Actually, he almost swerved off of the road at the sight of himself sitting…next to…himself. Yah. But anyway, he took me to the school and I've been there ever since."  
---Amethyst took her glass of water and drained the rest of it. She looked around at everyone who stared at her speechlessly. Innocently, she asked, "What? I bet my story's no different than anyone else's." That launched a whole series of stories and it was long before anyone else left the table. 


End file.
